Netherlands

Herman Wouters for The New York Times

The densely populated Netherlands, which is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has an elevation just above sea level on its northern and western borders with the North Sea. Germany and Belgium are its neighbors to the east and south.

One of the first countries in the world to have an elected parliament, the Netherlands has been governed since 1848 by a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. A founding member of the European Union and the Eurozone, it is home to the International Court of Justice, along with four other international tribunals. The market-based mixed economy of the Netherlands has provided its residents with a per capita income that ranks among the world’s highest. While the Dutch have always proudly embraced multiculturalism and religious tolerance, the struggle over immigration policies has become a polarizing political and social issue.

Learn more about the Netherlands. Scroll below to view our archive of articles and chronology of latest news.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 3, 2015

Dutch government apologizes after official report accuses them, along with Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil, of putting profit ahead of safety and ignoring earthquake risk in natural gas production in northern province of Groningen. MORE

Feb. 27, 2015

Netherlands, which mandated two years ago that Internet providers treat all traffic equally, offers case study of what could be in store for American consumers and companies; net neutrality rules have brought about few consumer complaints over costs, with consumer groups saying that cellphone and cable packages have remained fairly stable. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Police in Netherlands arrest young man with fake weapon who had threatened workers at television studio of national broadcaster NOS. MORE

Dec. 17, 2014

Aalsmeer Journal; auction system for flowers centered in Aalsmeer, Netherlands, is in midst of upheaval due to changes in global transportation network and growth of presales and direct shipping. MORE

Dec. 10, 2014

Pieces of wreckage from the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 arrive in the Netherlands as the Dutch government rejects call to hand over the investigation of the disaster to United Nations. MORE

Nov. 27, 2014

Dutch researchers are preparing to open Blue Energy test facility to explore new renewable energy source that takes advantage of the difference in salt concentration between seawater and fresh water to produce electricity. MORE

Nov. 18, 2014

Health officials move to combat outbreaks of bird flu at poultry farms in Britain and the Netherlands, culling thousands of chickens and ducks to avert spread of infection. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Wreckage from Malaysia Airlines jet that was shot down over Ukraine will be sent to the Netherlands, where officials will study it as part of the investigation. MORE

Nov. 15, 2014

European Union authorities accuse Netherlands of making special deal with Starbucks that helped company lower its taxes; accusation is contained in report by EU's competition authority and is latest sign of mounting concern over scale of tax breaks for multinational companies in period of weak growth and high unemployment in many parts of Europe. MORE

Nov. 15, 2014

European Union authorities publicly accuse Netherlands of making special deal with Starbucks that helped company lower its taxes, seeing it as potentially illegal state aid; it is latest case to focus on favorable and often secretive tax arrangements between big multinationals and low-tax countries; companies have been increasingly lobbying against proposed reforms as global authorities ramp up efforts to close tax loopholes. MORE

Nov. 12, 2014

SolaRoad, project that tests roadways as source of solar energy, starts in the Netherlands with about 230 feet of bike path, built of Lego-like solar panels set in concrete and protected by heavy glass. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Oct. 30, 2014

House designed by UNStudio of Amsterdam uses solar and geothermic energy while offering views of nature. MORE

Oct. 12, 2014

Dutch pension system, in which costs are scrupulously accounted for and each generation is asked to shoulder its own burden, presents a strong contrast for struggling American pensions; United States system has long protected current generation of workers, pushing costs and risks into the future, where they can metastasize unseen. MORE

Oct. 9, 2014

Q&A with architect Winy Maas, whose horseshoe-shaped mixed-use building known as the Markthal has just opened in Rotterdam, Netherlands. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

Nijmegen Journal; showpiece bridge in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, connects old and new parts of rapidly growing community, and memorializes a bold World War II crossing. MORE

Sep. 7, 2014

Aug. 15, 2014

Mayor Eberhard van der Laan of Amsterdam says Netherlands' holiday character Black Pete will change in appearance over the next four years to make him less of an offensive racial stereotype; opinion polls show majority of Dutch see nothing wrong with the character's depiction, but Dutch and foreign critics say Black Pete is an offensive holdover from colonialism and slavery. MORE

Aug. 14, 2014

Dutch art collector Joop van Caldenborgh spends most days tending to 50-acre gardens behind his home in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, but focuses on his bronze sculptures, not plants; van Caldenborgh's passion for art led him to add 60 or so modern works to fill his garden on property he bought in 1988. MORE

Jul. 30, 2014

Fighting in eastern Ukraine near debris field where Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down is preventing Dutch and Australian police officers and forensic experts from reaching the area for a third day. MORE

Jul. 28, 2014

Ukrainian military launches operation to recapture debris field of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, stalling international efforts to secure site; Ukrainian officials say they need control over site to prevent pro-Russian separatists from destroying clues to the downing of flight; Netherlands, whose citizens account for around two-thirds of the crash victims, is leading an international effort to get to the bottom of what happened. MORE

Jul. 27, 2014

Fighting in eastern Ukraine prevents Dutch military police officers from securing crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17; Netherlands, whose citizens accounted for around two-thirds of the crash victims, is leading international effort to determine cause of crash. MORE

Jul. 24, 2014

Military cargo planes land at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands, carrying victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, shot out of skies above eastern Ukraine; flags representing 17 nationalities of crash victims stand at half-staff, as moment of silence is observed. MORE

Jul. 22, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Arnon Grunberg raises concerns about impulse toward 'collective mourning' in the Netherlands following death of some 200 Dutch aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17; argues that mourning is essentially a private issue, and that emotional exhibitionism raises the specter of a dangerous breed of nationalism. MORE

Jul. 21, 2014

Rotterdam Journal; many Dutch citizens are angry over government's response to downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 that claimed the lives of almost 200 of its citizens; Dutch leaders have made no effort to channel country's grief; no day of public mourning has been declared, and flags are rarely seen flying at half-staff. MORE

Jul. 19, 2014

Netherlands finds itself thrust squarely into unaccustomed role at center of realpolitik of the crisis in Ukraine after downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, as 189 Dutch nationals were killed in the crash; prospect that Russian-backed separatists might be responsible for crash poses major dilemma for Dutch, as Russia is country's third largest trade partner. MORE

Jul. 17, 2014

Dutch court rules that Netherlands government is liable for the deaths of about 300 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, Europe’s worst ethnically motivated mass murder since World War II, saying that United Nations team of Dutch peacekeepers failed to prevent those deaths. MORE

Jul. 14, 2014

Another company is moving its headquarters to Europe, in part to pay lower taxes. This time, it’s led by the daughter of a United States senator. MORE

Jun. 30, 2014

Noordwijk Journal; Netherlands experts say dikes of country's famed water management system work so well that they worry citizens will begin to take staying dry for granted; as global climate change threatens to raise sea levels, Dutch authorities are working to make schoolchildren aware of forecasts that may seem far-off by engaging them in activities such as sand-castle competitions. MORE

Jun. 5, 2014

Dutch government is demanding that operator of Groningen gas field curtail production due to frequent earthquakes caused by reduction in field's natural pressure; field has been reliable supply of gas for Northern Europe for five decades, and accounts for about one-third of natural gas produced in the European Union. MORE

May. 22, 2014

Most of the players on Eritrea’s men's national soccer team fled their homeland together and have sought safety and stability in the Netherlands, causing a political stir; some question why the Eritrea players were allowed to enter the country and given housing and cash ahead of Dutch citizens. MORE

May. 20, 2014

Dutch police investigators say nearly 1,700 pounds of heroin was smuggled into the Netherlands hidden in a shipment of Iranian raisins. MORE

May. 2, 2014

Apr. 16, 2014

Fourteen-year-old girl in Netherlands may face criminal charges for impersonating a terrorist on Twitter and tweeting terror threat to American Airlines. MORE

Mar. 26, 2014

Secret Service sends home three of its agents who were in the Netherlands to provide security for Pres Obama's trip, citing 'disciplinary reasons' in connection with agents' drinking. MORE

Jan. 2, 2014

Op-Ed article by lecturer Andrea Mammone examines historical precedent for move by Marine Le Pen of France and Geert Wilders of Netherlands, two far-right, nationalist politicians, to form a Pan-European group; laments that calls for European solidarity in face of such groups that seek to weaken the European Union are few; warns EU that it must reclaim its reputation as champion of the people. MORE

Dec. 5, 2013

Op-Ed article by author Arnon Grunberg explains why the Dutch continue to love Black Pete, mythical Christmas figure that many have called racist; contends affection for Black Pete is rooted in the fears of many Dutch people of losing their national identity, fear fueled by globalization and migration. MORE

Nov. 18, 2013

Amsterdam Journal; arrival of Black Pete, servant figure who accompanies St Nicholas in Christmas parades in Netherlands, draws demonstration in Amsterdam; figure has brought accusations of racism from some, while others defend character on basis of tradition. MORE

Nov. 8, 2013

Editorial underscores importance of findings by American corrections officials who visited prisons in Germany and the Netherlands, countries that incarcerate people at about one-tenth the rate of the United States; holds European sentencing and penal practices may provide useful guidance in effort to reform the American prison system; urges states to heed practices of European prisons as they continue to rethink outdated assumptions. MORE

Nov. 7, 2013

Netherlands appeals to international tribunal to order Russia to release ship and 30 crew members of Greenpeace International who were detained while protesting offshore oil exploration in the Arctic. MORE

Nov. 2, 2013

Netherlands will contribute about 380 military and police personnel to a United Nations peacekeeping force that is trying to restore stability in Mali. MORE

Oct. 29, 2013

A new website lists 139 works of art in Dutch museums or galleries that may have been taken from Jewish families during the Nazi era. MORE

Oct. 21, 2013

Fourteen Caribbean countries that were once part of slave economy are planning to compile inventory of lasting damage they believe they suffered and then demand apology and reparations from former colonial powers Great Britain, France and the Netherlands. MORE

Oct. 17, 2013

Dutch officials are demanding an investigation after the beating of the Netherlands' senior diplomat Onno Elderenbosch in his apartment in Moscow; Russian Foreign Ministry is trying to head off political fallout from attack by promising to detain the two assailants. MORE

Oct. 5, 2013

Dutch Foreign Min Frans Timmermans says the Netherlands intends to press case against Russia in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for seizing Greenpeace International ship, which was sailing in Arctic under a Dutch flag; Russian prosecutors have filed piracy charges against ship's crew. MORE

Sep. 18, 2013

Dutch defense ministry, ending years of uncertainty, says it will replace its fleet of F-16 fighter jets with F-35s made by Lockheed Martin; will buy fewer than planned. MORE

Sep. 7, 2013

Dutch Supreme Court, in a decision that may pose new risks for countries involved in international peacekeeping operations, rules that the Netherlands was responsible for the deaths of three Bosnian Muslim men during 1995 Srebrenica massacre; say Dutch peacekeepers had wrongly ordered them to leave the United Nations compound during incident, which led to their deaths. MORE

Sep. 5, 2013

Hoofddorp Journal; construction is under way on $15 million baseball stadium in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, meant to lure visits from Major League Baseball. MORE

Aug. 24, 2013

Three-nation investigation leads to one of the biggest seizures of synthetic drugs in Europe, haul of products to create Ecstasy pills with street value of $1.7 billion; after 30 raids in Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland, 11 people are arrested and charged with possession, production and trading in drugs as part of a criminal gang. MORE

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